US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Attend CARICOM Summit

In rare form, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be attending the Fiftieth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in St. Kitts and Nevis, a development that is drawing significant geopolitical attention across the region. It makes for an especially interesting moment, as Rubio arrives with Washington advancing a proposed one hundred and twenty million U.S. dollar support program aimed at countries that are official or unofficial partners.  Belize will have representation at the high-level meeting. Prime Minister John Briceño departed the country yesterday en route to St. Kitts and Nevis to participate in the milestone CARICOM summit. According to the Office of the Prime Minister, he is accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Francis Fonseca, Chief Executive Officer Amalia Mai, and Belize’s Ambassador to CARICOM Lawrence Sylvester.  Rubio is expected to engage Caribbean leaders on shared priorities including strengthening regional security, addressing illegal migration and illicit trafficking, and expanding economic cooperation. Regional observers say the proposed U.S. assistance package is widely viewed within the context of ongoing diplomatic competition for influence in the Caribbean.  Because Belize could potentially benefit if the U.S. legislation is approved and structured to include Caribbean partners. However, the measure remains under consideration in the U.S. Congress, and no country-specific allocations have been announced.  The CARICOM Heads of Government meeting, the principal policy-setting forum for the fifteen-member regional bloc, is also expected to address economic resilience, climate change adaptation, food and energy security, and advancement of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.  Prime Minister Briceño is scheduled to return to Belize on Sunday. In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde is serving as Acting Prime Minister.